Wednesday, 28 December 2011

This piece of land, formerly part of the Brighton Rugby Club playing field, was quickly colonised by travellers when the A27 Brighton bypass was opened in 1996. Over the following two years the number of caravans rose to over 180 and the situation became quite chaotic. In 1998 the Council sent in the bailiffs and the travellers scattered throughout the City leaving behind an indescribable mess. The Council then drew up proposals for a legal transit site, and opposition of local residents crumbled when the Government refused a public enquiry in December that year.

A permanent site, with drainage and toilet facilities and hard-standing for 23 caravans, was opened in September 1999. Occupants had to prove a need to stay in the area, were charged £40 per week and limited to 6 months stay at any one time.

In 2002 the travellers received a £2000 grant from the Scarman trust for play equipment. In 2005 the Council was awarded £159,000 from a Government grant to help towards an upgrade of the site including provision of an electricity supply. In 2009 the rent was increased to £60 per week and occupants were limited to 1 months stay with a possible extension to 3 months if their plot wasn't needed.

The site was vandalised in 2008 and again in 2009 and had to be closed for repairs. In 2011, 24 hour security was provided at a cost to the taxpayer of £85,000 per year.

There are now proposals to extend the site northwards by adding a further 16 pitches dedicated to long-stay "travellers" who will have to supply evidence of close ties with the neighbourhood. The whole site is now in the South Downs National Park, the Authority for which will have to give planning permission. They have asked for two other sites to be reported on for comparison: Waterhall Farm and Hangleton Bottom.

Brighton has long operated a somewhat tolerant attitude towards travellers, reinforced in recent years by the Human Rights Act, but all efforts will only scratch at the problem unless other councils in the South East make similar efforts.

Friday, 23 December 2011

It is disappointing that, at a recent meeting, the Conservation Advisory Group recommended refusal of application BH2011/03227, chiefly on the grounds of the proposed hotel's height & bulk. A site at the end of a 'square' such as this surely requires completion with a moderately imposing building. It may be that the design can be criticised on matters of style or detail but it is difficult to conceive how any lower edifice could fill the gap in an aesthetically satisfactory manner.

The existing no.10 Queen Square rises to five storeys including a semi-basement. No.11 is to be rebuilt as part of the hotel, but, following the roofline trend of the street, will be 1 metre higher than no.10, again only with five storeys. The hotel accomodation shown in section will also be five storeys with the lower ground floor slightly above the basement level of no.10.

Superimposed on the 5th floor is a "lantern" storey housing service equipment. The hotel is therefore one storey higher than those in Queen Square, not "two or three" as some claim. Furthermore the sixth storey does not extend to the full plan area of the hotel but is set back from its outside wall on all sides so becoming inconspicuous.

The total height of the hotel is a little more than 18 metres. Concern has been expressed over the overshadowing of the churchyard, but it seems inevitable that any economic use of the site will involve a building higher than the existing. Any practicable reduction in height would have only marginal effects on the churchyard but could critically compromise the appearance of the development in Queen Square.

At the rear the upper ground floor is separated from the churchyard wall by a passage way. If this passage way were to be widened, at the expense of the internal accommodation, the shadow cast by the building on the churchyard would be mitigated somewhat, but only on a little frequented part of the churchyard. (Hence an earlier suggestion for the creation of a permissive foot path through the hotel). The hotel would, in effect, be gaining an extra outside area it cannot use, at the expense of providing an extra piece of unshadowed churchyard that the public doesn't use.

Turning to consider effects on Wykeham Terrace, the hotel will rise approximately 7.5 metres above Wykeham Terrace as shown below but because of the geometry will not be in the line of sight of a pedestrian in Dyke Road over 40 metres away.

It is true that as one climbs into St. Nicholas churchyard or up Dyke Road the new hotel will come into view behind the end properties in Wykeham Terrace. The applicant has supplied the visualisation below in which the viewer is on eye level with the Wykeham Terrace rooftops. This is a puzzling picture and not doing the applicant any favours. It is surely showing at least one floor too many of the hotel according to the geometry suggested by the sectional drawing. Whatever, there seems to be no area in the neighbourhood where the houses of Wykeham Terrace, viewed from the front at ground level, will be over-topped by the proposed hotel.

Higher still in the churchyard one gets a fine view towards St. Pauls and the sea as shown in the photo below. In this view the west end of the hotel would be visible between the two trees on the left. The view of St. Pauls, centre, will not be obscured.

Thursday, 22 December 2011

The mild dry evening produced what seemed a record turnout of spectators. By 7pm not a spare vantage point along Madeira Drive or Marine parade was to be had. The last photo would have been much better if I could have found a space to erect a tripod (and had bothered to take one along :) ).

All Brighton people (and other pagans) can help to keep "Burning the Clocks" going. Just donate £1 by texting 'sameskyclocks' to 70100.

Wednesday, 21 December 2011

Patcham Village: showing the 17th century, 250 ft. long, tithe barn of the former Patcham Court Farm, and a section of the probably older churchyard wall, viewed across what was the village pond. The pond was filled-in in the 1930's. The barn was converted to dwellings and a church hall in 1987.

Thursday, 15 December 2011

The proposal to demolish the former Co-op department store on Brighton's London Road to create 407 units of student accommodation was refused by the city council's planning committee yesterday afternoon.

After considering the application, the committee decided that the proposal did not justify the loss of the existing 1930s building which is valued by the local community due to its architectural and historic interest.

It was also clear after viewing the proposed design of the building that it would relate poorly to other buildings in the surrounding area and would be an overdevelopment of the site. The building appeared out of scale with neighbouring properties and affected views from Preston Circus and the New England Quarter.

A full assessment of the proposed building’s affect on the neighbourhood and its impact on sunlight levels on the rest of the area could not be made as insufficient information was submitted.

Possible noise disturbance to the area also played a role in the planning committee’s decision. There was not enough information on how the proposed roof terraces and open service yard would affect noise levels in the area. The applicant also did not address the need for disabled parking.

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

Brighton's unique Treason Show left the Komedia in 2009, after 9 years, following a disagreement with management over the number of shows it was allowed. It has been at the Pavilion Theatre ever since, apart from a New Year show at the Old Ship and a 10 year celebration performance at the Theatre Royal.

As it is essentially suited to a cabaret-style venue the Pavilion Theatre was not ideal and it is therefore excellent news that Mark Brailsford, founder, director, performer (and streaker), has been granted a license to operate from the basement of 25 North Street as "The Theatre in the Lanes".

25 North Street, adjacent to Meeting House Lane and directly opposite the end of New Road, is appropriately situated close to The Theatre Royal and the Pavilion Theatre. The site is now occupied by Chandos House, a 1960's development which replaced part of Vokins, the drapers, and the Countess of Huntingdon's Church

A painting, by Reginald John (Rex) Whistler, aged 16. Six years later, in 1927, he completed perhaps his most famous work, the murals in the restaurant of Tate Britain.

In Brighton he is famous for "HRH the Prince Regent Awakening the Spirit of Brighton", 1944. This hangs upstairs in the Royal Pavilion and was the centre piece of a major exhibition in Brighton Art Gallery in 2006, "Rex Whistler: The Triumph of Fancy". It was originally painted on the wall of a house in Preston Park Avenue where Rex Whistler was stationed during WW2.

Interestingly this painting has become seriously darkened with age and perhaps, being on wallpaper, the possibilites for restoration are limited. Only the techniques of digital photography allow it to be appreciated in anything like its original state.

Self portrait 1940

Rex Whistler was subsequently killed in Normandy in 1944 and, according to his wishes, expressed only hours before, was buried where he fell.

Tuesday, 6 December 2011

Planning application BH2011/034343 details the proposed conversion of the north block of Mitre House into a 3 storey, 134 bed hotel. The principle of a hotel on this site was established last year by application BH2010/01966. On the Western Road frontage of Mitre House a separate entrance to the hotel will be created, alongside the existing entrance, by utilising the existing shop at no.150.

From this entrance a passageway leads to the north block and the hotel, (see below).

The work includes adding an extra storey to the north block by means of a mansard roof with dormer windows, executed with a zinc cladding. The deteriorating exterior brickwork will be pale rendered. (See below).

Proposed elevation on Hampton Street

The improvement to Hampton Street should be considerable, although it is only fair to note that in the visualisation above the artist has somehow forgotten the rubbish bins.

Monday, 5 December 2011

A planning application (BH2011/03227) has been submitted to replace the old skating rink at the end of Queen Square and no.11, the last house on the LH side, with a five storey, serviced apartment hotel with a restaurant/café at ground floor level. The hotel will be known as "The Light".

The designs have been prepared by Conran & Partners, and the application impresses with the amount of research and effort that has gone into ensuring that the building harmonises seamlessly with adjacent period properties, and enhances the immediate neighbourhood without dominating it. The front of the hotel is mainly rendered, and has balconies and windows disposed and proportioned to echo patterns established in the adjacent frontages. The 'lantern' top storey is stepped back from the front to minimise height. The rear is in grey brick to harmonise with the colours predominant in and around St. Nicholas churchyard. To the west end of the site, behind the west side of Queen Square, the upper floors are stepped back from the rear walls of Wykeham Terrace to minimise overshadowing, and the balconies so formed screened to maintain privacy.

A not insignificant planning gain will be the improvement of Queen Square itself. The developer's aspirations for this, shown below, require a levelling of the approach to the hotel to provide an outside eating area and a public art work to attract people into the Square:-

The Square however, being a cul-de-sac, will still struggle to increase footfall. The suggestion for a pedestrian 'cut-through' from Queen Square to the St. Nicholas open space was considered but, unfortunately, failed to receive persuasive backing. The factors said to weigh against it are the 3 metre change in gradient and the need to demolish a section of the churchyard wall. These points are valid to some extent but not insuperable. What seems to have been the main concern is the unknown consequences of a new link between a quiet area and the busy city centre, notwithstanding that any conceivable problem could surely have been obviated by the provision of gates. There was never any suggestion of establishing a permanent right-of-way. As things stand, due to timidity, a unique opportunity to improve the City's pedestrian links will be lost forever.

Sunday, 4 December 2011

This painting by Charles H.H. Burleigh is in the collection of the Geffrye Museum, Shoreditch. Burleigh, 1875-1956, studied at Brighton School of Art and in Paris, and painted a variety of subject matter in both oil and watercolour. The artist was married to Averil Burleigh, another artist, and they had 7 Wilbury Crescent built in 1905. Their daughter, Veronica, was also a painter.

Brighton Art Gallery has 22 paintings by Charles in its collection, including "Brighton Front", below, the painting for which he is best known locally.

Brighton Front 1920

Other well-known paintings are his interiors of the Royal Pavilion when it was in use as an Indian hospital and the interior of the Brighton Arts Club c.1930, which portrays many local artists of that period. The latter is currently on display in Brighton Art Gallery.

The Gallery also has seven paintings by Averil and two by his daughter, including a portrait of her father at his easel. Not all the paintings are on display. The family were discussed in an article by Hilary Chapman in the Antique Dealer and Collector's Guide of March 1998.

Charles Burleigh was a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) and the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours (RI). He exhibited quite widely at their exhibitions and at such venues as the Royal Academy and the Fine Art Society. He seems to have been a prolific painter throughout his life and, perhaps because of this, many of his works fetch only of the order of £100-£200 at auction.

Tuesday, 29 November 2011

Duncan Grant, 1885 - 1987, painted "Brighton Pier & boats" in 1938. It seems to be his only work with a Brighton subject, notwithstanding that he lived not too far away at Charleston, East Sussex. The painting is interesting in that it shows two of the old wooden windlasses which adorned the beach and were still in occasional use, until the mid 20th century. They were gradually supplanted by manual iron winches. Eventually a powered winch under a green painted steel cover was supplied by the Council and the wooden windlasses disappeared. The large wooden hog boats, such as the one shown in the background, fitted with inboard motors, remained in use somewhat longer, fishing in the winter and providing tourist trips in the summer.

Duncan Grant

The painting is believed to have been originally in the collection of Edward Le Bas who bequeathed it to Eardley Knolleys owner of the Storran Gallery, London. From Eardley it would have passed to the picture framer and lover of EM Forster, Mattei Radev and thus become part of the important Radev Collection.

Monday, 28 November 2011

Officers from the council’s conservation team recently visited the Saltdean Lido, which is on English Heritage's "At Risk" register, to assess its condition. They are now considering next steps forward. Options include serving a notice on the operator requiring repairs to be made. Non-compliance with such a notice could lead to compulsory purchase of the leasehold interest.

A new Brighton & Hove City Council report also signals that the authority, which owns the building, would be willing to take back the lease if suitable terms could be agreed.

The authority as landlord has already served a legal notice on the leaseholder in May 2010 requiring a list of repairs to be made. There is currently a dispute between the council, which owns the freehold of the building, and the leaseholder about the extent to which this has been done and the quality of repairs.

The council is also set to introduce a new monitoring regime to ensure the leaseholder regularly opens the pool to the public.

Alleged infrequent opening and the condition of the building have been the focus of a local campaign and a petition which prompted a council debate last month.

Cabinet councillor for culture Geoffrey Bowden said: “At the same time as pursuing the legal route over the state of the building, we’re now seeking an official view from our conservation experts. I’m expecting this will strengthen our hand.”

While campaigners have been demanding the council withdraws the lease, council lawyers say a court is unlikely to support such a move unless and until negotiations with the lessee have broken down.

Councillor Bowden added: “I completely share campaigners’ frustration but for now we must pursue other ways of keeping the pressure on the leaseholder to repair the building and open it regularly. We want a vibrant, accessible Lido that plays a full part in the life of the local community and city as a whole.”

A report updating the position is expected to go to the next of Councillor Bowden’s regular decision-making meetings on December 6.

The Save Saltdean Lido Campaign today announced a series of emergency community meetings to take place on Sunday 4 December at St Nicholas Church Hall, Saltdean Vale at 2.15pm, 3.30pm, 5.00pm & 6.15pm.

Hundreds of people are expected to attend the meetings which will give local residents and other interested people a chance to discuss a report about the lido site which Brighton and Hove Council are issuing on Monday 28 November.

This report, which will outline the key issues and options available to the Council, will be discussed by the Culture, Recreational and Tourism Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 6 December. Ms Crook, the Chair of the Lido campaign, has been invited to speak for three meetings at this meeting as have the Saltdean Residents’ Association, the Saltdean Community Association and Dennis Audley, the leaseholder of the site.

On December 4 the Save Saltdean Lido campaign will discuss the options which council officials have laid out in the report and raise a number of other urgent issues regarding the site. It is intended to continue its policy of fully involving the community to secure a clear mandate for action.

Last month, at the Full Council Meeting of Brighton and Hove Council, the Save Saltdean Lido campaign group presented a petition signed by almost 3,000 people which asked the Council to commence urgent proceedings and pro-active action against the current lease-holder of Saltdean Lido to maintain the building and comply fully with the terms and conditions of the lease. The petition went on to state that if there is failure of compliance, signatories immediately expect the Council to revoke the lease with forfeiture.

The Campaign group have stated that the pool was not open daily this Summer as the lease states and neither has the building been maintained to a satisfactory standard to provide sufficient community facilities.
See also:- http://www.saltdeanlidocampaign.org/

Thursday, 24 November 2011

Plans to demolish the gardeners mess room, shown above, and build a new café and toilet facilities on The Level have been given the go-ahead as the council waits to hear whether its Heritage Lottery Funding Bid has been approved.

The proposed café development, shown below, also includes cycle parking and facilities for parks staff and rangers.

The modern, environmentally friendly building has been designed to enhance the park with glass on three sides, solar panels and a grass roof. It has plenty of space for wheelchairs and buggies and kitchens big enough to cook fresh meals. Toilets will include wheelchair accessible units along with changing facilities for adults with disabilities and an attendant’s room. The café and toilets would be open all year round.

Earlier this year the council bid for funding for The Level proposals from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund through their ‘Parks for People’ grant scheme. News of whether funding has been granted is expected to be announced in January. The £2.1 million scheme would see the Level totally transformed into a welcoming, safe and attractive open space. (From a Council press release.)

Wednesday, 23 November 2011

In April this year developer McAleer and Rushe Group and landowners Albion Inns Ltd and Cookstown Developments Ltd, after withdrawing their appeal, were given six months to provide the much needed playground on Block K of the station site, see previous post.

The playground has failed to materialise within the allotted time and the City Council has instigated legal action which will be heard in Brighton Magistrates Court on December 8th.

Councillor Phelim MacCafferty says “We are extremely disappointed that the developers have continued to ignore requests to provide this much needed facility for families living in the area. . . Failing to comply with the enforcement notice has left us with no alternative but to take legal action.”

Tuesday, 22 November 2011

This large oil painting measuring 5 ft high was the undoubted hit of the 1995 'Brighton Revealed' exhibition where it dominated one wall of Brighton Art Gallery. It was painted c.1950 by Edward Le Bas and later became the part inspiration for a quirky book of the same name by Nigel Richardson.

Le Bas had travelled and painted a lot on the continent and, because of this, an imaginative art dealer originally named the painting 'Breakfast in Majorca'. In fact it shows a scene in the front room of a house in Clifton Terrace, Brighton, looking out over the private gardens towards the since decapitated Metropole Hotel and the sea.

The way Le Bas has captured the light flooding over the table is genius, although from the direction of the shadows it appears to have been a rather late breakfast.

Another painting c.1952 by Le Bas entitled "Brighton from Clifton Terrace" appears to be from an upper room situated towards the Dyke Road, eastern end, of the terrace, as it shows the corner of the italianate villa, 43 Dyke Rd, then occupied by Clark's Secretarial College. A possible candidate for the viewpoint of this painting is 6 Clifton Terrace, a guest house at that time.

Both the above paintings are in private ownership.

Le Bas was born in 1904, educated at Harrow, Cambridge University and the Royal College of Art and started to exhibit at the Royal Academy from about 1930. He met Duncan Grant and the Bloomsbury Group in the 1940's and was elected to the London Group in 1942. By 1955 he had become a Royal Academician and in 1957 was awarded a CBE. By this time he had amassed an extensive collection of 20th century paintings which were the subject of a special exhibition at the RA in 1963. His relative early death in 1966 was attributed to heavy drinking.

The only Edward Le Bas in the Brighton Museum collections is the delightful "The Bedside Table", c.1940, which is currently on display in the Art Gallery.

Sunday, 20 November 2011

The Victoria Fountain is pure 'Brighton'. It was financed partly by Sir John Cordy Burrows, Brighton's first Mayor and partly by local public subscription; it was designed by Brighton's regency architect Amon Henry Wilds, modelled by Brighton sculptor William Pepper, cast in the Eagle Foundry in Gloucester Road, and the Brighton dolphins forming its base were mounted on a collection of sarsen stones dug up in the Old Steine in 1823. It has rightfully been grade II listed along with the Royal Pavilion since the listing scheme was first introduced in 1952.

It was inaugurated in 1846, to mark Queen Victoria's 27th. birthday, with a ceremony at which a band played the "The Fountain Quadrilles", specially composed by local musician Charles Coote. In 1990 the top part was removed for restoration and, on completion in 1995, was inaugurated by Prince Charles. The whole fountain was given a further makeover for the Millenium celebrations and it seems to have been getting regular maintenance ever since.

The circular cascades between the basins, which form such an attractive feature, especially viewed against the light, appear to have been a recent innovation. Early photos show individual jets arcing down from the rims of the upper basins and others arcing up from the bottom one.

Friday, 18 November 2011

A little piece of old Hove seafront lives on. Globe Homes' December 2009 application to demolish was refused in December 2010 and their appeal against this decision was refused by the Council earlier this month.

Wednesday, 16 November 2011

Environmental Protection UK ( a Brighton-based charity for local environmental quality issues - http://www.environmental-protection.org.uk/) and Brighton and Hove City Council are working towards finding open space that can be identified and designated as 'quiet areas' in terms of absence of noise from road traffic, railways, aircraft and industry etc. (This is to meet the requirements of ongoing national and European obligations to identify and protect quiet open spaces).

To achieve this it is intended to involve users of the City's open spaces by face-to-face surveys in selected parks during October/November, and also by means of an online survey. If you enjoy our parks and open spaces, and would like to help to identify and retain peaceful areas for relaxation in Brighton & Hove you are invited to complete the survey at:- http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/quietspacebrightonhove (It only takes about 5 minutes)

Saturday, 12 November 2011

The Brighton Society has responded in detail to the Draft National Planning Policy Framework circulated by the Government and its conclusions are summarised below:-

Remove the presumption in favour of development. This will address the majority of our reservations.

Remove the misleading expression ‘sustainable development’ Just call it development. Or come up with another description for the definition set out in paragraph 9.

Set out a reasonable and realistic timetable within which Local Authorities can prepare and finalise their Local Plans in conjunction with their local community before ANY of the policies contained in the NPPF become mandatory.

Provide a failsafe mechanism if deficiencies in the Local Plan lead to patently detrimental consequences to the local environment and the wishes of the local community.

Give the local community a greater say in the formulation of Local Plans free from development targets – because that is what they are.

Ensure that there are procedures and safeguards so that local communities are given the time and facilities to make a real contribution to planning policies in their local areas.

Issue guidance to local authorities on how to resolve the problem of finding accommodation for travellers.

Remove the requirement for a 20% additional allowance for development.

Specifically encourage the use of brownfield sites for new housing development.

Confirm that equal weight will be given in the NPPF to the categories of planning for prosperity, planning for people, and planning for places (para 10) but acknowledge in para 11 that there will be many circumstances, particularly within existing built environments, where planning for spaces will outweigh the others because of a need to protect the existing environment.

Create a presumption against development which would detrimentally affect the historic environment in our villages, towns, cities and countryside.

Create protection for open spaces used by the public within built up areas.

Recognise the value of open countryside and include policies to preserve, enhance and protect the character of the countryside from inappropriate development.

Encourage local authorities to review the boundaries of Green Belt land where these run along main roads to ensure a buffer of open space along those roads.

Encourage local authorities to put in place strong policies to control the proliferation and detrimental environmental effects of advertisements and signage.

Incentives should be created for Housing Associations to allow them to expand their ability to provide more affordable housing, and to make a greater contribution towards the aim of increasing the number of new dwellings built annually.

Create a monitoring system on a national basis to keep track of the amount of housing developments approved, built and completed, and issue updated guidance on a regular basis to local authorities so that they can see how their own allocations, planning applications, approvals and built provision are affected by the national picture.

Provide national guidelines for future development to address the imbalance between the increasingly depopulated north and the increasingly overpopulated south and issue guidance to local authorities where this is likely to affect the provision within their local plans.

Make VAT zero-rated where existing buildings are converted and/or refurbished to new uses.